The Bake-Off Battle
by Randomness Girl
Summary: A new pony in town opens a bakery in Ponyville, and Dinky claims that her muffins are better than Derpy's! Angrily, Derpy challenges this new mare to a bake-off. Will she keep her title as Ponyville's best muffin baker, or will it be given to her competition, Flour Dough?


**A/N: For a magazine project in my Language Arts class, my teacher wants us to write a short story relating to the theme. It's obvious what the theme is, and so this is my short story.**

**I don't own Mlp or Derpy. I own Flour Dough, though.**

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The pegasus pony grunted as she pulled herself out of the mailbox. She finally popped out, her eyes spinning. Shading her eyes with her gray hooves, she stared at the sun, trying to determine the time. Celestia had lowered it, but it would be about an hour until Luna rises the sun.

_ Looks like my shift is over_, Derpy thought. She trotted along the dirt path to her home, watching other ponies go about their business.

She opened the door to her house and said quite loud, "I'm home, everypony!"

Nopony answered. Derpy tilted her head. Where were her husband and her daughter?

"Hello?" she asked uncertainly.

"Mom! Mom!" a voice from behind her called out. Turning around, she spotted the purple unicorn filly running towards her and a brown earth pony stallion trotting behind.

"There you are!" Derpy exclaimed. "Where have you been?"

"A new mare moved into Ponyville," Doctor Whooves, her husband, explained. "She just opened a muffin bakery in the middle of town."

"And they're actually better than yours!" their daughter, Dinky, said with excitement. "I never thought that was possible! Oh, no offense, uh, Mom."

Derpy was not listening. Dinky's words rang in her ears. _They're actually better than yours. _That could not happen. Her muffins had to be the best, and hers only!

Angrier than she had ever been, she asked them, "Where is this new bakery?"

Dinky and Doctor Whooves cowered low to the floor. They have never seen Derpy so livid. Her glare was terrifying, even though her eyes would look in opposite directions.

They led the mad mare to the desired destination. A large crowd of ponies were gathered around a building with a large banner that read, "Grand Opening."

Derpy stormed through the crowd to reach the front. A white earth pony mare with a straight mane and tail that was cream colored stood behind a counter. On her flank was a cutie mark of a whisk, probably representing her baking ability.

She looked at Derpy with bright, pink eyes. "Hello there," she greeted her, unaware of the anger raging in the pegasus. "My name's Flour Dough! What's-"

"I challenge you to a bake-off!" Derpy yelled, cutting her off.

Flour Dough looked surprised, caught off guard by the request. Many ponies around them gasped.

"A- a _bake-off_?" Flour asked, making sure she heard correctly. Derpy nodded.

"Mom! What are you doing?!" Dinky cried. She ignored her.

"Whichever pony wins, they get to be crowned 'Muffin Queen'. The pony who loses stops baking..." Derpy paused for dramatic effect, "..._forever_."

Flour blinked in confusion. "Wait, this is a bake-off for muffins?"

"Yes, because nopony bakes BETTER MUFFINS THAN ME!" Derpy started to yell.

"Uh, I'm not sure this is a good idea," Flour Dough told her, ears laying flat.

"Oh, are you _scared _to compete against me?" Derpy challenged.

Flour rolled her eyes and sighed. This mare was insane. "Fine," she said, giving up.

Ten minutes later, they were side by side, trying to bake the tastiest muffins possible.

"This can't go well," Dinky told her father nervously.

Flour Dough calmly measured her ingredients and mixed them with care, her work area kept clean. Derpy was mixing and measuring carelessly, her work area a sloppy mess. Her anger and determination to win was clouding her mind, causing her to be unable to think straight.

Afterwards, they handed out their baked treats. The ponies were able to taste an obvious difference between the two muffins. Flour Dough's blueberry muffins tasted the best, while Derpy's chocolate muffins were not fully baked due to her haste.

Doctor Whooves went to the front of the crowd. "Who here thought Derpy's muffins tasted better?" he asked them loudly. A soft murmur went through the ponies.

"They weren't even fully baked."

"What happened to the delicious muffins she baked before?"

"Okay, who thinks Flour's muffins taste better?" A huge cheer erupted from the crowd.

Derpy gasped in shock. "Sweet Celestia, I...I lost?" she said in disbelief. She hung her head low. She walked over to Flour Dough, held out a hoof, and forced a smile. "Great competition," she said to her, trying not to sound upset.

Flour Dough shook her hoof. "Same to you," she replied happily.

Derpy sighed. "Looks like you're Muffin Queen. Guess I'll-"

"You don't have to stop baking," Flour said quickly.

Derpy's jaw dropped. "I-I don't?" she asked with shock.

Flour shook her head. "Just because somepony is better than you at something, it doesn't mean you have to make yourself better than them," she explained. "It just means that you can appreciate their talents, and you can just work harder to improve."

Derpy absorbed what Flour said. "Wow," she said afterwards. "I'm really sorry for the way I acted."

Flour laughed. "It's okay," she replied. "I'm just glad you learned your lesson."

Derpy smiled. She could not believe how ridiculous she acted. "Uh, you don't mind if you show me some baking tips, do you?"

"I don't mind at all! Come here, I'll teach you some of my secrets."

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**So, what do you think? Is it good? Horrible? Too cheesy of an ending? Let me know in your reviews!**


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